What's this? Months without posting?
Time for a spamming of game reviews, then!
Like everyone else, I had spent a great deal of my time on Skyrim when it came out. (I'd still be playing it, too, if my information hadn't been accidentally saved over.) Like the previous Elder Scrolls game, Oblivion, I had a lot of fun just exploring and doing what I wanted to do. There's just something very rewarding about being given the freedom to go where you want, raid a dungeon, loot treasure, and not because you're on a quest to do so, but because you just can. The combat was fluid and intuitive, and I honestly enjoyed nearly everything about it. Part of me is upset over having lost my character data, but it's sort of a good thing; over the last few months, I've been able to play other games and even beat them, and I know that I could have easily continued playing Skyrim without caring about other games.
I recently took the time to finally beat Mass Effect 2...and just in time for the third installment into the series! I imported my fem-Shep from the first game and stayed true to her Paragon nature, for the most part, but every once in a while, I'd go all Renegade on someone. I liked the change in combat from the first game, but overall, it was more of the same, which is by no means a bad thing. I felt like my choices weighed heavier on me, especially since I knew my entire crew could die (hell, my Shepard could die) during the final mission. I'm happy to report that my teammates all survived, and will helping me in the third game kick some evil living-machine ass!
A lot of my time has gone into the newest Soul Calibur title, too. While the story mode itself proved to be something of a disappointment to me, I've been having fun with the game as a whole. I feel like the third game will always be my favourite, though, due to the different fighting styles created characters could have, and the RPG mode it has, as well.
I've also beaten Atlus's puzzle game, Catherine. Boy, is that game frustrating. I expected to be challenged by the puzzles, so I played it on normal...and wished that I would have started on easy. I know you can change the difficulty during the non-puzzle portions of the game, but that felt wrong to me, so I stuck with it. It was satisfying knowing that I could figure out some of the puzzles (after six continues), but I feel like if/when I play it again, I'll be dumbing it down for myself and playing it on easy. Who knows if I'll play the harder modes...? I really respect Atlus for doing something different with the game; Catherine is in a genre all its own.
Speaking of different genres, I picked up Hakuouki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom for my PSP. It's visual novel/dating simulation game, which are few and far between in the states. I was pretty excited when they announced that it was going to be translated in English, and to show my support of crazy Japanese games, I bought it. Having never really played a VN game before, I didn't know what to expect, and during my first play-though, I hooked up with a samurai that I didn't intend to, then got stabbed and died. I was a little upset at the turn of events, and gave it a second play-through. Having a better idea of how to actually play the game to end up with who I wanted, I ended up with my samurai of choice, Saitou. Now, playing the helpless damsel in distress isn't really my thing, but there were enough romantic scenes through the game to make my heart of ice melt. Maybe I fan-girl squealed a couple of times, too. Overall, I really liked the game (if it can be called a game). I enjoyed the story, which is seriously important since you're essentially reading 99% of the time, and enjoyed the idea behind VN games so much, I'd like to make one of my own, one of these days.
I've been spending the last couple of days playing Asura's Wrath. In my opinion, this game is the Okami of the current gen systems. Like Okami, it will be ignored, have a cult following, and then be missed once it's gone...and it's a damn shame. People complain about how new games never do anything new, never have any original content, and this one does. It's beautiful, well-directed, cleverly written, and has such unique gameplay. But I don't know anyone else who's playing it right now. Unfortunately, I think it's getting over-shadowed by some larger titles on the horizon, like the new Mass Effect, and the Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to death about both of those games (have them both pre-ordered, collector's editions and all!), but I feel like Asura's Wrath is a gem that will be over-looked in the long run.
Speaking of Resident Evil, though...I'm very much looking forward to having a co-op, kill all zombies game! With Asura's Wrath, Resident Evil, and the new Street Fighter X Tekken, I feel like Capcom might as well just take my next paycheck. They're one of the few companies that I'm very devoted to.
